"He meets me in the bathroom and says, 'coach, actually I want to bat 4'" - Mark Boucher praises Suryakumar Yadav's character despite injury
Mumbai Indians head coach Mark Boucher has opened up on Suryakumar Yadav's courageous act despite copping an injury while fielding against the Delhi Capitals. Boucher stated that the 32-year-old insisted on batting at number four despite the setback.
While trying to catch the ball hit by Axar Patel at long-off, it struck the right-handed batter above his eye. The number one-ranked T20I batter left the field immediately after to seek treatment.
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Speaking after the game, as quoted by India Today, the former Proteas keeper-batter revealed:
"He did get hit on the field, he came in, and his eye was starting to swell. He had to ice it. I came in thinking, maybe we move him down in the order. He meets me in the bathroom and says, 'coach, actually I want to bat 4'. For me, that's not shying away from anything."
The 46-year-old hailed the star batter's character and felt such players are invaluable to the team. He added:
"These are the type of characters you want in the dressing room. When the times are tough, they're not scared to hide on the back of the change room. They want to go out there. So, well done."
Mumbai Indians finally got on board in IPL 2023 as they beat the Delhi Capitals by six wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Suryakumar Yadav registered yet another golden duck
Despite his insistence to bat at number four, Suryakumar Yadav's poor form continued as Mukesh Kumar claimed him for a first-ball duck. The classy right-hander holed out a short-pitched delivery to fine leg. It was also his fourth golden duck in the last six innings, including three in international cricket.
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However, Rohit Sharma's return to form was a massive plus for the five-time champions as he scored 65 in their win over the Delhi Capitals.